Been a wacky week here. And I am so glad it's Sunday, and I can have a day of rest. Sort of. Rain is supposed to be coming this afternoon late. I really pray that it does. It is so dry out there..my neighbor is worried about losing some of her trees. I dug down into the sweet potatoes this morning and it was like rock. Not good. I watered massively this morning...maybe that will make it rain. It's so humid you can barely breathe. We need a couple of good days of rain to bring these temperatures down and clean things up.
I harvested about 2 pounds of beautiful carrots this morning. This is without a doubt the best carrot year we have ever had. I also picked tomatoes, okra and some more jalapenos. The dehydrator is full and running. Over the past couple of days, I have frozen a load of chives and garlic chive flowers. I have a big pan full of chives drying too. I dried lemon grass for tea. I froze broccoli, about 2 gallons of florets. I sorted the box of apples that the Irishman picked, and got them ready for storage...the ones with soft spots are being dried . I made the beautiful salad at the top of the page for our discussion group at La Vista..we are doing another of the Northwest Earth Institute's books, on food ethics and sustainability. I also made crostini--french bread in garlic and olive oil, toasted to a sprightly crunch. I called this an Italian Layered Salad. It was awesome. It started out with an overabundance of ripe red tomatoes from the garden. Then I added some chunked cucumber I found hiding under the pole beans. I sliced white onion, added edamame, fresh chopped basil, --all from the garden. Some cracked pepper and sea salt. Red wine vinegar and EVOO to taste. Topped it off with chunks of fresh soft mozzarella and garnished with a sprig or two of basil. It was to die for...
This is the limbo-land time of gardening...waiting for the last of the beans to dry or ripen, tomatoes are still there by the tons, but ripening more slowly than they were. We have planted a lot of the fall garden and not all of it, because it is still so hot. Got the ground ready for the peas and beets. Anyway, it's just a funny time, almost anti-climactic after the rush of July and early August. Almost feeling let down. lol I told the Irishman this morning that it sure is a lot easier to be motivated during the rush of garden season. You have to be, if you're gonna survive it. Then things slow down and it's like WHHOOOOSH! all the air goes out of you. And all you want to do is sit down. For a month. lol
It's only a high of 85 today. But the humidity must be a thousand percent--I'm dripping with sweat. Trying to hobble around and at least vacuum the living room...the dog hair is taking on a life of it's own. And I stripped the loveseat covers off too, because they are filthy and full of cat and dog hair. I put some carpet fresh down and threw the covers in the machine. Yes, the new-to-me machine. lol Sonnyboy found it at a yard sale for 75 dollars. I'm a happy woman. Now, if it would only cool way down or I could get the AC fixed, everything would be perfect. I can always go cool off in the bedroom--we have a window unit in there.
I managed to get myself tangled up in the watering hose this morning and fell on my keister when I slipped on wet straw. sheesh. Not hurt, just really sore and bruised I suspect. I'm just grateful nobody was around to see it. I'm sure I looked like an idiot, arms flailing around trying to catch myself as I went down. Sigh...
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It's now about 3 hours later. Floors vacuumed, slipcovers washed, dried and back on the loveseats. I got so hot I went into the bedroom and l;ay down on the bed, where it's air conditioned. Slept for almost 45 minutes, lol. Musta needed it....feel better, after a quick rinse in the shower and a change of clothes. The Irishman is home from the picnic and it started to rain. A nice soft rain for a while, but now it's stopped. Driving the humidity up even higher. Hopefully it will rain some more soon... Himself took his fishing pole out for a quickie, between raindrops and supper. lol I need to go out back and check the chickens--only got 3 eggs this morning, so I'm betting there's some more out there by now.
Thinking I'll make a quick spaghetti and salad for supper. He isn't too hungry after the AA picnic and I'm not real motivated to do much either. This will be easy, good and satisfying. My favorite kind of meal. (Unless somebody else cooks it for me) lol
The house is marginally clean, there's mood music playing, and everyone seems calmed by the little rain. The forecast is for rain today and tomorrow....keep your fingers crossed for us.
Happy Sunday!!
9 comments:
Wishing you a long, steady but not flooding rain. That salad looks incredible!
I'd be just dying without the AC. No wonder you slept in the cooler bedroom. With as busy as you have been in July and early August I can see why you'd want to just collapse for a while. ;)
I pray you get some good rain and the temps drop! Ours are climbing again here, too, but until Tuesday it is still supposed to be cool at night. Then they're talking warm nights, too, and 90s again. *sigh*
Try to stay cool!! Have a good week. :)
I hesitate to tell you the temperatures around here today. It didn't even get to 70. I spent it outside weeding the garden and now I can barely move, I'm so tired! I simply cannot imagine that kind of heat. My blood has gotten so thick living here in the Pacific Northwest that just reading about your heat and humidity, I broke out in a sweat! :-)
It started raining here this morning about 9 and it has rained all day long, a slow steady rain. I hope by now it has reached southern Illinois. Take time to rest Annie!
That was a day of rest??? lol Be careful falling. You will end up in the emergency room looking like I did about a month ago! Gardening can be dangerous! When you dry your herbs, do you use the dehydrator. In what ways do you use them? Soups? Nancy
Thanks, Ashling--it was really good!!
and the rain has been off and on, but I think we're getting a fair amount. It's supposed to do this through tonight and into tomorrow.
Rita--I keep telling myself that I NEVER used to have air conditioning...and now I think I can't live without it. Funny how that is, huh? Hope you have a great week too!!
DJan--you know, when I first moved to Northern California, back in the mid seventies...I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I love the weather there.It wouldn't take me any time at all to get use to that again. :)
Beth--The rain didn't start here until after 3 o'clock...and it's been pretty spotty. Hopefully it will keep this up all night and into tomorrow. It has at least cooled down a lot.
Nancy--This was such a silly fall...but I know what you mean. Depending on the herbs I'm drying...I usually use a brown paper sack and hang them in the back pantry (closet). These chives that I'm drying I just chopped them up and put them in a baking pan on waxed paper and set them out to dry. I stir them around a couple of times a day...When they're good and dry, I'll put them in a glass jar.
I use them, all kinds of ways, definitely in soups, sauces...today I made a pitcher of iced tea. Before I put the tea bags in the big 4 cup measuring bowl that I use, I dumped about a quarter of a cup of dried lemongrass, then tea bags, then water. I nuked it for 7 minutes and after it steeped some, made a pitcher of tea. It is amazing...a beautiful mild lemon flavor, and none of the acid. And lemongrass is soooo good for you!!
Annie,so glad you are not hurt after your fall. As usual, your food makes me hungry!
I like this time of year but only because I plant more- lettuce, greens, radishes- just to make me feel like summer won't come to a close;)
the salad looks so good and your talk of garden goodies makes me miss having my own fresh produce big time. i remember the hurry, hurry days of harvesting and then like you said, whoosh!
glad you survived the fall! ouch!
namaste'
I like it too, Linda...It's almost like...LAST CALL.....lol I hate the thought of not having extra greens when it gets colder..but we';re trying a fall/winter garden this year. We have a large cold frame too...I'll keep you all updated, of course.
Hi Willow...The salad was really good. And easy, and almost all my own ingredients, which makes me more than a little smug. LOL
I'm a little sore today, but it was nothing serious. Thank goodness--I have too much to do still to be fooling around. :)
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